Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: IFS
by BioHaz
Summary: 2200 is the dawn of a new era in Japan...
1. Default Chapter Title

"Burroughs, Leary, and Kubrick. Three powerful names for three powerful souls."

The three students stood quietly in front of their master, the Naming Rite completed mere moments ago. Each was thinking of the future and what it held for each of them.

"Prepare for the coming days, my students. There will be nothing but trial and tribulation in your future." The fourth occupant of the sewer junction point said. The four were in what they called home, the maze of ancient sewers that resided beneath the urban sprawl Japan had become.

Three of the four persons gathered in the small room were anything but human however. Each stood at about 5'11", muscles hidden beneath their green skin, their backs covered by a protective shell. A simple piece of cloth was wrapped around each ones midsection, no other clothing apparent on their amphibian bodies. The three were near identical, but upon closer examination certain differences became apparent.

The middle of the group, runes tattooed into his flesh, began writhing his hands in front of him, chants uttered from its lips. Practising the Kaibil, a path of martial arts blending magic and fighting styles, the tatted figure was a powerful foe.

The largest of the group spun a staff before him, its mechanics causing it to grow and shrink in length at the mere thought of its bearer. Spinning like a top, the Staff wielder moved effortlessly around the sparring circle, twisting at odd angles, the staff whistling through the air.

The last stood shorter then the rest, with a patch of fur on his chin. Carrying two blades in his hands, the runt began a flurry of kicks and thrusts, performing a kanta only he knew. As his dance of death continued, the blades he carried sparked with power, a hum filling the air around the warrior.

"Prepare to fight", The human, the only other person in the room, said.

**Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: IFS #1 (of 3)   
"Prepare to Fight"   
Written By: Alex `BioHaz' Cook   
Edited by: Jac Milnestein **

"Damn."

That was all Chow `CJ' Jones could say in the dark room. His arms chained to the wall he now rested next to, the statement pretty much summed up the current situation. CJ had been damned. Due to the so-called Angels that reside over Albion torturing the Japanese man for information he doesn't have, CJ has come to accept his new life. The path that led him here has been long and winding, but he wouldn't retrace a step for the life of him.

In the back of his mind, CJ knew his Rebellion would come for him, sooner or later. He just hoped he was alive when they arrived.

********* **

"There are the co-ordinates, as promised." The voice said through the computer speakers. A woman of no more then 20 sat at the terminal and grimaced as she read the contents of the file just delivered.

"Laeticia, this says he is in Rijushini Tower! How the hell are we going to get in there?!" the woman asked in a hurry.

"That is exactly were your precious Chow `CJ' Jones is being held, that I can promise you. He is scheduled for the final interrogation tomorrow. Better hurry and save your leader, dear." Laeticia replied, obviously aware she held the upper hand in this communication. "All I ask is safe passage through Japan. Nothing more, nothing less."

"You may be an `Angel', Laeticia, but I still don't trust you." the woman answered.

"You don't have to trust me Michelle, you just have to save your leader. Laeticia out." The Angel finished, cutting off the connection.

Michelle let out a sigh, realizing just how much trouble they all were in.

"Rat! It's time!" Michelle yelled down the hallway as she stood up from the computer.

********* **

Burroughs, spectacles on his bald green head, waved his hands in the air, energy following his fingers. Microwaves of power began to almost seep off of Burroughs' body, pooling on his fists and feet. Bringing both hands together and bowing, Burroughs let out a long and satisfied sigh. A glint in his hidden eyes, Burroughs spoke to his brothers.

"Ready?" And the fight began.

Burroughs lashed out savagely, magic coupling his attack. Pink and purple trails followed his attacking appendages, exploding on contact. Taking two steps to the right, Burroughs confronted Leary first. A sidekick to the solar plexus caused the runt to drop to the ground, Leary's feet attempting to sweep Burroughs to his back as he fell. Burroughs hoped effortlessly, landing on the balls of his feet evading the attack from Leary. Left foot coming up high, Burroughs crane kicked Leary, connecting with his collarbone.

A metal staff whistled in the air, connecting with Burroughs on his shell before arching back around and slamming into the Turtle's head. Turning quickly, Burroughs came face to face with Kubrick, staff gripped in determination. Dropping his magics, Burroughs took Kubrick on hand to hand. Producing a nightstick type weapon from his gi, Burroughs stood ready for Kubrick.

Leary, regaining his footing, yelled a battle cry as he flung himself at the two Turtles. Leaping in the air, Leary came down; left leg extended, hard on Burroughs. Wasting no time, Leary spun once landed, arching his right leg up and around. A roundhouse connected with Kubrick's jaw spinning the Turtle to the ground.

"Bastards, first round is on you!" Leary bellowed in glee. Too soon, hindsight would tell him later. Kubrick rolled on the floor, his staff tight against his body. His roll ending, the Turtle took to all fours, staying low. Scurrying closer to Leary, Kubrick sprung, bringing the end of his staff against the ground. Pushing one of the many buttons on the handle, the staff grew in length, vaulting Kubrick at Leary. Kubrick's left foot connected hard against Leary's face. Landing, Kubrick retracted the staff and swung it in an arch down, contacting Leary's right arm.

Taking the blow in stride, Leary counter-attacked, turning the opposite direction deflecting the staff. Finishing his revolution Leary punched Kubrick hard, first with a backhanded slap followed by a strong left. Reaching behind himself, Leary produced a knife from his shell, its blade already energizing with electricity.

Swiping and spinning, Leary attacks were not easily defended. Kubrick wouldn't have it any other way. His arms went up in defenses automatically, each blow deflected with ease. Then Leary's right arm dropped to low, his attack coming up short. Kubrick locked onto Leary's arm, weaving his own arm under his brothers. Dropping to a knee, Kubrick quickly broke the arm at the elbow.

Amid Leary's screams of pain, Kubrick leapt to safety, asking, "Who's buying the drinks now?"

A magical dragon pounced on Kubrick then, its caster standing proudly away from the fighting turtles. Burroughs called the mystic creation back, the dragon disappearing in a poof of disorienting smoke. Burroughs took advantage of the phased opponent, swiftly pricking two major nerve points on the Turtle's body. Falling to a heap, Kubrick rolled to the side to catch his breadth.

Two claps ushered from outside the arena. The Turtles quickly came to attention, eyes gazing at the makeshift dojo's doorway. In it stood Yon Gui, the Turtles' teacher, and long time friend.

"Enough for today, Turtles. Go, enjoy the city." Yon said peacefully.

The Turtles rushed out of the dojo, yelling and jumping in anticipation of the night ahead.

Yon stood in the now empty dojo, contemplative in anticipation of the night ahead.

********* **

Rijushini Tower, on the outskirts of New Tokyo was about to become extremely active. A state of the art facility, Rijushini Tower was surrounded by an energy field that kept anyone wanting in out, and anyone wanting out in. This was the first and foremost interrogation area in the Japanese government, and the location of the rebel CJ Jones, supposed head of the Japanese Rebellion.

Flying in silent mode, an unmarked XJ-9 Stealth Cruiser floated past the tower. As it passed, the back hatched open, and two forms were seen jumping out into the night. Wrapped in black, the two free fell down to the tower. Closing in fast the two released small parachutes, meant to slow their descent, not stop it. Landing hard and rolling to a stop, the two were in position.

"Topside, checking in." One of the two dark figures said into a mike attached to his hood. The other figure produced a welding torch from his dark folds of clothing. Sparking the tool, the form began to slice a thin line into the door barring entry to the Tower.

"Entryway accessed, dropping EMPs charges now. Ten seconds till activation, mark!" the second paratrooper said into his mike. Each looked at each other and ran down the stairs, counting down to ten in their heads.

At the gate, the guard on duty was getting quite a show.

"Listen, my Dad works in the Tower! I need to see him. It's super urgent!" The bubbly voice said, looking at the guard expectantly. Bending every so often, Michelle had the guard under her trance. Letting this slip of clothing ride up a little higher then normal, let that piece drop lower then normal, and the guard's eyes were fixated on Michelle and no where else. 

Until the big explosion that was. Chain link fence sprayed everywhere as a force blast ripped the metal apart. Concrete followed soon after, showering Michelle and the guard in debris.

"This is outpost one, calling all posts! We have an explosion, ERK" The guard finished, Michelle's hand removing a small blade from his rib cage. "It won't kill you dear, but you'll be feeling my kiss for weeks!" Michele said as she ran towards the explosion, through the now open hole in the energy grid surrounding the Tower. "Gates are clear. Move in!" Michelle yelled into her ear mike as she ran across the landscaping towards the main entryway.

********* **

"It's the bigger dick policy!" Leary cried as he reached for his fourth glass of saki.

The three sat in a little cafe in the lower sections of New Tokyo. Not the Underbelly, but high enough to actually see the sky and stars. The cafe was a trendy spot a few years ago. Now only a few patrons trickle in every now and then to listen to the Jazz band playing that night.

"Pardon me?" Burroughs asked, not sure where his sibling was going with this.

"It's simple. What is the fundamental basis of war? To prove one side is better then the other. Nobody screws with Albion, because they have the bigger guns. Thus, they are the better side. Whichever side has the biggest dick wins!" Leary commented triumphantly, sipping his warm saki carefully once completed.

"After hundreds of years of war and thousands of scholars spending their lives researching war, you've boiled it all down to `The Bigger Dick Policy'?" Burroughs asked, a little stunned by the simplicity of the previous comment.

"Yep," Leary replied, finishing off the last of his saki.

**BOOM**

All three heads spun to the right to look out at the New Tokyo skyline. A huge explosion had just rocked the Rijushini Tower; the bursts of flame still billowing out of the top.

"See, someone wanted to prove they had a bigger dick." Leary said with a smirk.

********* **

"Move! Move! Move!" the Rat screamed as he rushed CJ out of his cell.

The guards that had been stationed at CJs doorway were now bloody chunks of humans littered across the floor. CJ looked at the destruction and grimaced slightly. He didn't want this; this was too extreme, too much. CJ fought to keep the bile in his throat as he followed The Rat's departing form.

CJ was in close pursuit until he saw the blinking lights of an Albion relay sitting in a room near him. After scanning behind him quickly, CJ bolted into the room and sat at the Albion terminal.

"Rat! Cover me!" CJ yelled as he jumped inside the room. The Rat turned and swore, watching the rebellion leader he had sworn to protect sit at the Albion Terminal. The Rat followed CJ, covering the doorway as CJ accessed whatever files he could.

"Hurry up son, we only have so long before the authorities lock this place down." the Rat said, his voice calm, but CJ had known the rebel long enough to know fear when he heard it.

CJ paid little attention to Rat as he accessed whatever files he could. Typing in a short command, a list of the most recently accessed files scrolled down the screen. CJ selected the first five files that had timestamps of today. He opened the first one quickly, checking to see what data he had acquired.

"Oh shit," CJ breathlessly said as he read the contents of the file.

CJ grasped his wrist and pulled out a long thin cord. The female end of the cord fit perfectly into the Terminal, and after a few more keystrokes, the files were copied into CJ's personal datapad.

"Rat, we have got to get the fuck out of here, now!" CJ finally said once his eyes were done scanning the files in his position.

**------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Next issue:** more questions, a few answers, and we meet the members of the Japanese Rebellion. But whom are they rebelling against?

MUTATIONS

Welcome to the first issue of TMNT: IFS. I remember when I was eight or nine and I first watched the TMNT cartoon on Fox. I feel in love with it that very minute. Then I found out the series was based on a comic book, which lead me to falling in love with comics. 

Fast-forward a decade and change. Jac approached me about doing an IFS series, which I thought would be interesting. I had always enjoyed some of the stuff Image produced, and I was jumping at the chance to take that mythos into the future. Then Jac mentioned the fact that TMNT was now published by Image, and it all fell together. Hope you enjoy the ride.

Send comments to [hazardous_designs@yahoo.com][1]

   [1]: mailto:hazardous_designs@yahoo.com



	2. Default Chapter Title

"Ohhhhh..." Leary mumbled. "My head."

"Runt got a hang over?" Burroughs asked, his head looking down at the still intoxicated younger brother.

"What time is it?" Leary asked, glancing about the room with barely open eyes.

"Half past six. Time to train. Yon's left instructions as usual." Burroughs answered, noticing Kubrick already set up for the session.

"Go to hell." Leary said, rolling over and covering his green head.

Burroughs bent down and pulled at the blanket. "Come on Leary, you know the rules."

A quick foot sweep was Burroughs only answer, his shell smacking the ground hard. Rolling to his side, Leary reached over and pinched a side nerve quickly. Burroughs got the hint. Leary wasn't quite ready to get up yet.

"Damn, someone woke up on the wrong side of the cot this morning." The brainy turtle said, limping away.

It was his constant cheerful voice that annoyed Leary the most.

********* **

**Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: IFS #2 (of 3)  
"A Glimmer of a Plot"  
Written By Alex 'BioHaz' Cook  
Proof-Read By Jac Milnestein**

********* **

It was the way the light radiated off their feathers that annoyed him the most. It seemed to fall down, almost as if the particles of light were rushing past a cliff, forming energy based waterfall around the majestic figure in front of him. The light continued its shimmering dance as the creature continued to shake as well.

While its being was the ultimate creation of beauty, seeing her eyes scrunched up and her forehead criss-crossed with wrinkles of fear did little to drive home such a concept. 'Pitiful' leapt to the man's mind. The wings of feathers only furthered infuriated him. Add the recent discovery of a security breach and you had one pissed of individual.

"You're charged with the duty of maintaining Reality itself, yet keeping one BOY imprisoned was too great a task for you to complete!" The light brown skinned man screamed finally, his anger getting the best of him.

Most mortals would have died where they stood if they even dared to speak to an Angel in such a tone. The Wrath of God was, after all, on the Angels side. The man in the middle of his tirade had his own Gods backing him. He had little to fear from the flying monkey cowering before him.

Questioning her further existence, Daphine mumbled one final piece of news. "The database was compromised as well."

The man's eyebrow raised in response. "What?"

"Our Planetary database was compromised. One of the rebels attacking the Tower accessed a few level four files." Daphine continued.

"Which files." He demanded.

Daphine handed him the datapad containing a list of all the files accessed and copied not 36 hours ago.

"Damn." Was all Anista Chung said as Daphine grimaced as well.

********* **

The grimace hadn't left his face for 6 hours. Sure, a celebration of a successful mission was great for team moral. The Rebellion was overjoyed at CJ's return, but a day and half of non-stop drinking and carrying on seemed a little much. They were fighting the Japanese government, not asking it to dance.

"Damn." Jones breathed again as he scrolled through one of the newly acquired files for the thousandth time. The information still amazed him.

"If I hear you say 'Damn' one more time tonight Chow, I will make sure your bed ridden with a nasty virus for the next week."

CJ looked up from the scrolling lines of revelations, Michelle's sarcastic smirk greeting him. By the look in her eyes she was just about drunk enough to go through with her threat. "Enjoying yourself Michelle?" CJ asked finally.

"Sure! You rebellion types know how to party!!" She said, her hands reaching skyward as she twirled on one foot to prove her point.

"You've been with us for two years now. This is not the first 'party'," CJ said, fingers curling to make invisible quotation marks in the air, "you've been privy too."

"You sound way too uptight for someone who just got rescued from the den of those winged bastards, CJ. Did your family forget to teach you humility or gratitude?" Michelle asked, the saki clearing slightly in her head.

"They taught me those things and more Michelle. However, I reached my limit twelve hours ago. I went to sleep, they were partying. I woke up, they were partying. And now, now they are still partying! Enough already!" CJ exclaimed.

"Ungrateful bastard." Was all Michelle said.

"American bitch." CJ said as he stood to leave. "Read this. See if I have a right to cry at my own party." He finished, placing the datapad on the table.

Michelle skimmed the contents for a few seconds until its meaning caught her attention. Then she reread it thoroughly, her feet peddling after CJ's retreating form. 

'This changes everything', she thought.

********* **

"Changes? What kind of changes?" The driver asked, the horn protruding from his scaled nose reflecting the setting sun briefly as he turned to look at his passenger. The cobra's head turned and glanced at the rhino, a smirk on his lips as his forked tongue tasted the air.

"It's the little things. For example, Albion doesn't use the metric system. You know what they use? Some screwed up system from Heaven. Measures meat and shit on this scale of Sin. Tells you how long your gonna burn in Hell if you eat it."

The rhino continued to look at his friend with bewilderment.

"Example, McDonalds has the quarter pounder with cheese right? Well, in Albion, they call it the 'You're as Bad as Woody Allen with Cheese'."

"HAHAHA! Bebop, you're shitting me!" The rhino challenged.

"No, my friend, I am not. Rocksteady, I'm telling you, its your type of town."

Rocksteady grinned at that. "Sure it is. That's what you say after every overseas hit." Rocksteady said.

"Well, this time I mean it."

"Whatever. You know the score on this one?"

"Not yet. The Man just called us in. Information to be delivered."

"Damn. I hate not knowing what we're getting into before getting to his 'temple' as he calls it."

"Rocksteady, the thing is built from pure jade! I think its safe to say the architect was going for that palace feel when designing it."

"Whatever, the place bugs me."

********* **

"Well, sorry to bug you, but we need to talk." CJ said. 

Rat's mask hid his frustration at being disturbed while meditating.

"What can I do for you CJ?" Rat asked, old bones cracking as he peeled himself out of a complicated lotus position.

"Read this." Was all CJ said.

Rat's mask slid down his face slightly as he ingested the lines of information in front of him. Fixing the mask, Rat turned to look at CJ and Michelle, the fear noticeable in his eyes. "Where did you get these?" He asked.

"Remember the terminal in Rijushini Tower? Seems it was a portal to a Planetary database. Those were just the files I was able to access." CJ commented looking up at the stars, the grimace permanently affixed to his face. Nothing was gonna cheer this boy up, Michelle thought. She then considered the information he had shared with her, and now Rat. There was little room for joy now.

"This can't be right." Rat finally said.

"That's what I said." Michelle replied, looking at CJ.

"It is." CJ said, putting an end to that argument. "The Planetary IDs check out. Its real."

Rat looked at his pupil one last time before turning on his heel. "Follow me. Its time you learned the rest of it." He said, picking up his walking stick as he exited the room.

Michelle and CJ quickly caught up; both a little perplexed as to where Rat was taking them.

"What do you mean the rest of it, Rat? Where are you taking us?" CJ asked.

"To the sewers." Was all the masked man said as he opened a secluded hatch in the ground. The darkness enveloped him as he jumped in feet first.

********* **

The darkness released them quickly, the torches of fire illuminating the pure jade walkway before them. Statues and columns of the same material covered the room, obviously a throne room of some sort. The large chair in the center didn't give it away or anything.

"Alright boss, enough cloak and dagger shit. Give us the details so we can get to it." Bebop asked, his head weaving side to side as each eye looked an opposite direction for his employer. Rocksteady stood behind him, playing the quiet tough guy role perfectly.

"Ah yes, Bebop and Rocksteady. How are you both this fine day?" Anista Chung asked, stepping out from behind one of the columns off to the corner of the room.

"Same old same old, sir." Rocksteady answered.

"Short and sweet, as always Rocksteady. I'm sure you're both anxious for your next assignment."

"Didn't I just say that?" Bebop asked.

"Watch it, snake." Anista replied, his smile never wavering. "Here," he finally said, placing a datachip in his employees hands. "This has all the information you'll need on it. This is a multiple target job, and I cannot stress enough how important it is that ALL those people are dead before you return here."

"Yes sir." Rocksteady said, watching as Bebop took the datachip and inserted it into the reader at his hip.

Bebop whistled as he read the dossier. "Wait, didn't you just have this guy in lock up?"

"Yes, well, certain events outside my realm of control changed that situation."

"Ah. So the kid busted out." Rocksteady finished.

Anista just glared at the two. If they weren't so damn good, he would have killed them both a long time ago.

"Wait a minute. Turtles?" Bebop asked suddenly.

********* **

"Yes Turtles." Rat said.

CJ continued to look at his teacher in shock.

"You've been harboring three adult sized Turtles in these sewers for how long now?" He finally asked.

"5 years now. They've grown at an amazing rate. The mutation.."

"Wait! Why didn't you tell me about this??" CJ challenged.

"That's a story that will take some explaining. And the turtles have as much a right to hear it as you do." Rat said softly, leading the two Rebellion members further down the interconnected pipes and cement caverns making up the Japanese Sewer network. It was as elaborate as the skyscraper network above it.

"I hate it when he gets cryptic." Michelle commented, wiping something ugly and gooey from her fingers.

"This coming from the American spy who just came out of no where." Rat replied.

"I didn't come from no where. You just don't have the clearance to know where I came from."

"I'm incomplete without such information. How will I continue to breathe, much less live." Rat intoned flatly.

The sarcasm wasn't lost on Michelle.

CJ snapped. He had had enough. "Will you two stop bitching like you're married for two seconds! The Gods themselves are planning an invasion of Japan and your bickering over your point of origin!" He screamed, spittle raining down on the slick sewer floor.

"We don't know if they are true Gods, CJ." Michelle said after a momentary pause of disbelief after seeing such a display.

"These are Planetary files Michelle! These things don't lie! If there is one constant in this fucked up world, Planetary knows the score more then ANY one else. Hell, the fact Rijushini Tower had access to these Planetary files are reason enough to be scared shitless by their implications! And now, our fearless mentor here has just told us he has been teaching three of these very foot soldiers!!" Chow Jones was the picture of rage. Pulsing veins, large eyes, eyebrows raised in exclamation. 

Rat was the image of peace however, the outburst doing little to phase him.

"I had no idea of their true connection to the Foot." The masked man said.

"The Foot? Wait, they're dead. Wiped out at the turn of the millennium." Michelle answered; surely the rodent was mistaken.

"No, they are very much alive." A voice replied, its sound echoing off the empty sewer walls. "In fact, they're pretty damn pissed at you."

The three turned in unison to see a horn burst through the wall, bricks and cement showering into the tunnel. The large brown body of Rocksteady followed closely behind; the fine tailored suit wrapped around his frame showing little wear and tear after plowing through a cement barrier. Slithering through the crack followed Bebop, carrying a rather impressive arsenal on his small body.

"Time to get paid." Bebop said, dropping a pair of sight goggles onto his reptilian eyes. Logging into the gun computer allowed Bebop to accurately target anyone with just a look. Deadly, to say the least.

Rat wasted little time moving sure Michelle had been properly trained to do the same. He didn't have to even consider what CJ's next move was going to be. The boy had already connected his foot with the sight goggles thin glass exterior, cracking the left eyepiece. The snake was at a disadvantage now, next the rhino. Vaulting over Bebop's head, CJ slammed both fists, wrapped together, against the soft underside of Rocksteady's jaw. By the look on his face, that had to hurt. Somersaulting back through the air, CJ ran quickly to catch up with Rat and Michelle. He just hoped he had bought them enough time.

Rat read his thoughts. "Don't worry. They heard the commotion. We'll have reinforcements soon enough."

"Oh great. Now I'm relaying on a bunch of mutants to save my ass." CJ answered the burn in his muscles growing with each hurried step.

**------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**NEXT ISSUE:** Okay, so I said you'd get some answers this issue. Well, you got a glimmer of an answer, just like this issue has a glimmer of a plot. I swear I'm going somewhere with this, but its taking me a little longer then I thought. It will wrap up next issue, and you will know quite a bit about the origins of the Turtles and how they fit into Anista's plans. Also don't miss the next issue, as well as the Millennium Special coming out Jan 1st, 00!!

MUTATIONS

You know what, I was shocked to find I actually got a letter for the last issue of TMNT. However, my comp decided to die, so I lost Tommy Hancock's, the IFS' newest member, letter of praise. Damn...

Send all comments to [hazardous_designs@yahoo.com][1]

   [1]: mailto:hazardous_designs@yahoo.com



	3. Default Chapter Title

"This is all because some Divine Spirit didn't want to wait around for the end of reality?" 

"Yeah, funny how a battle can start huh?" 

Bebop didn't think it was too hilarious, as another laser lanced out in the runt, Leary's, way. Leary vaulted over the beam of light, gaining distance away from the snake and his small arsenal. 

Kubrick danced around as well, pinwheeling about the room as he sparred wit the raging rhino, Rocksteady. Kubrick was but a fly to the hit man, but he was about to show this fly could sting. Arching his staff above and behind his back, Kubrick brought the metal instrument down hard on Rocksteady's collarbone. 

"Argh!" Rocksteady cried in response, his hand grabbing the end of the stick quickly. Before Kubrick could let go, Rocksteady pulled the staff up and over, flinging Kubrick along with it. Kubrick's shell clanged as he hit the opposite wall hard, falling into a pile on the ground. 

Burroughs leapt onto Rocksteady as he watched his little brother sail through the air. The rhino tried to dislodge the turtle, but to no avail. Burroughs clamped down hard around his neck, wrapping his legs around Rocksteady's shoulders as he rained blow after blow down on the behemoth head. Rocksteady lasted a few minutes under the assault, but fell to the ground in the end. 

Kubrick stood, shaking himself back to consciousness. "Damn, that fucker can throw.." was all he said as he retrieved his staff. "Pay back is a.. hey! You beat him up!!" 

"Well, what did you expect me to do, show him to a nice chair and ask him to wait till you woke up?" Burroughs asked, untangling himself from Rocksteady's fallen form. 

Rocksteady decided he had more then enough to share with both turtles. Launching to his feet quickly, the rhino lashed out at Burroughs, his fist sending the turtle back. Next, a knee connected with Kubrick's midsection, the wind knocked right out of him. "Pay back is a what?" he challenged? 

"Why, a bitch!" Leary screamed in defiance as he scissors his legs up and around Rocksteady's. Leary felt his foot sink into some loose flesh. Rocksteady's eyes blazed open, his mouth grimacing in pain. 

"Errgh." was all the rhinoceros breathed as he covered his crotch and fell to the ground for the second time. 

"Oh man, not the jewels." Bebop said, no longer sparring with the triumphant Leary. 

"Oh yes, the jewels." Burroughs said. Bebop spun to find the turtle behind him, but not before his weapon was knocked from his scaly hands. 

"Mind telling us why your employer wants us dead, snake boy?" Leary asked, kicking the still twitching Rocksteady on the ground. Burroughs just glared at Bebop, prompting him to answer. 

"Yep, sure do." The snake said as he fished a small object from his pocket. CJ and Michelle's battle experience came into play quickly as they each recognized the device. 

"BOMB!" They both shouted as they dropped to the ground. Rat followed suit, as the three turtles jumped away from the snake and his bomb. Bebop smirked as he pushed the pin and dropped the cylinder. 

There was no sound, but plenty of light when the device went off. Enough to blind three humans and three mutated turtles. Once their sight returned, the two hit men were no where to be found. 

"I hate it when the bad guys get away! This reads like a Marvel comic!" Leary screamed, shaking his fists in the air in frustration. 

"There is much to discuss turtles. Come." Rat said as he stood, adjusting his mask quickly as well. 

"You read Marvel Comics? What's wrong with you?" Michelle asked as she followed the procession out into the sewers. 

##########

**Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: IFS #3 (of 3)  
'The End is Only the Beginning'   
Written By: Alex Cook   
Edited By: Chad Roberts**

########## 

"What's wrong with me? You're the seven-foot tall rhino who crumpled as soon as he got hit in the balls! And your asking me what's wrong?" Bebop challenged, the laser rig around his chest sparking after the damage dealt to it in the previous skirmish. 

"It's not my fault the kid went for the jewels! I thought it was an understood rule of combat, never touch the genitalia!" Rocksteady answered in his defense, still limping from the kick Leary had delivered. 

"Pansy." 

"This coming from the snake who got bitched slapped as soon as I went down? 

Bebop just craned his long neck in Rocksteady's direction, forked tongue tasting the agitation on the air. "Anista's going to have our asses if we don't come back with something. C'mon, we're not through yet." 

"But I wanted to go home and put some ice on it!" 

"You and your soon to be chilled nuts can wait." 

########## 

"You and your impatient brothers can wait." Rat said. CJ still refused to call him that. 

"Wait, brothers? They're related?" Jones asked. 

"Well, I found them in the same tube, so I assumed..." Rat trailed off. As long as the mask stayed on, it was as if Yon was a different person, the Rat being a whole other personality. Perhaps it was. It was difficult for one to discuss the happenings of the others sometimes. Times of stress were the most often case. 

"A tube?" Michelle asked from the back. The alcohol had long since drained out of her system, the endorphin rush flushing her clean. Damn I need a beer, she thought. 

"That's a long story. Perhaps later. First, safety." 

"Yon," Burroughs started, looking at his master. "Why were those things after you?" 

"Another long story. Wait till we are home. Then we can talk." 

CJ walked in silence contemplating the past days. A lot had happened, a lot he would have never expected. A mere week ago he was coming to term with the fact he would soon be dead. Now, he was walking side by side with the supposed foot soldiers of the Gods if the files he held in his hands were correct. Unfortunately, that was just the tip of the iceberg. These four files alone incriminated officials and persons of power deep in the Japanese and Albion governments, far deeper then any registered voter believes the governments go. The straggler that was America could even be hurt by the facts encoded in his wrist-comp. 

"Are we there yet?" Leary suddenly piped in. 

########## 

"No we are not there yet. Stop asking." The gopher answered. 

It was a name given to all the scouts who traversed the underground network of Japan. The island itself had been built over and over again throughout the ages, the ruins below making up a network of corridors and chasms. The men and women who called the place home had adjusted to the darkness, no natural light ever reaching these depths. Night vision, and the like, helped them all survive. Hence the name gopher. 

"Seat on the inner council, and now this." Was the only response the guide received. 

"Inner what?" 

"Nothing." she answered, not caring to communicate any further. It fit her to be damned to such an existence, fleeing under the cover of three miles of concrete, hiding from the people she once called alleys. Well, she never truly called them that. she always knew she would betray them. It was her mission. The betrayal and sudden fall from grace wasn't setting well with her system though. 

Laetica continued her journey through the Japanese underground. On to her next stop. 

########## 

"Final stop." Rat finally said, stopping at the nest of corridors the group called home. A dilapidated subcar turned on its side to the far left made up the sleep areas, the rest of the domicile open and inviting. Feng Shui was evident everywhere, angles all fitting in perfect harmony. 

The group dispersed, new comers unsure of where to go or what to do as the four inhabitants moved around with a familiar ease. Rat reached for his mask and took it off as his turtles sank to their knees awaiting the beginning of their discussion. Yon had trained them well. He motioned CJ and Michelle over, as he too sat down, somewhat reclining in the cushion behind his back. 

"You've asked some questions that deserve to be answered. CJ, please, share with the turtles what you've come across." 

CJ stepped forward, looking over the data one final times. "I seem to have stumbled across the plans for global domination by a group of Gods who no longer wish to inhabit the spiritual realms. You, it seems, were to be their physical vessels." CJ began, touching on the beginning of the first file, it being written almost as if that gigantic fact was common knowledge to all that would read this. 

The three turtles were rattled by those few sentences alone. CJ continued, the need to share this pent up after the past few days of denial. 

"It started a hundred years ago. Island Zero, the files say, was your true birthplace. The birthplace of your DNA. The fossil of your great-great-great-grandfather. What was once called Gojira." 

Leary raised his hand. "Can I have some of what you're smoking?" 

A stern look from Yon stopped any further outbursts. 

"Here, read the files yourselves. Then we'll talk." CJ was at his wits end. He threw the wrist comp on the ground and stormed to the side, raging over the day's events once again. Michelle walked over to offer solace. 

The three did just that. Burroughs reached for the pad and passed it to Kubrick. They all walked to the subway car, opening one door to reveal a computer screen. The terminal it was connected to was an amalgamation of parts, wires and circuitry showing everywhere. Kubrick took an unused lead and sank the connection into the datapad, a few keystrokes later and the files were downloaded. 

Kubrick accessed the first file. The turtles' eyes widened. The second file scrolled by, and their jaws dropped. A gasp was uttered as the third appeared on the screen. The fourth file cemented their shock. 

They all knew their place in the world now. The facts made sense. Not all of them were sure of its truth, but they could not deny the allegations within. They were something wholly different from anything they thought they could ever be. 

"Footsoldiers of the Gods?" Burroughs finally asked. 

"Who the fuck are the Foot?" Leary interjected. 

"Divine hosts?" Kubrick asked the others. 

########## 

"Divine hosts? We're the fucking skin of some God?" Bebop asked. Rocksteady looked over his shoulder, glancing at the datapad the snake held. It had hacked into the Turtles rig easily once they were within two hundred feet. the files were once again theirs. 

"I don't believe a word of this." The rhino challenged. "Would Anista send US if it wasn't true?" 

"If what is true? a lot of this is pieces! There is still a whole bit to this that's missing!" 

"I know that, my friend. We're going to find out exactly what is going on." The snake hissed, his neck fanning as an act of exclamation. He picked a few keys on the datapad and watched a taskbar launch, indicating the completion of a task. "But first, time to clean up." 

########## 

Kubrick watched as his rig began to fragment before his eyes. Seconds early a massive virus had suddenly seized control of the system, the four files mapping out their past segmenting slowly but surly. 

"No!" Kubrick screamed, rapidly punching keys with no effort. The system was dead to the world, its OS corrupted beyond repair. All in the matter of seconds, their history had vanished once again. "Damn it no!" Leary cried as the screen flared once more before dying, electricity-raining outward as it shorted out. The smell of fused chips and soldering filled the air. 

Yon had come as soon as he had heard the small explosion. CJ and Michelle followed suit, watching the computer burn along with their ally. 

"They know." Burroughs said. 

########## 

"They know." 

"Are you certain?" Anista asked, not wasting time with details now. He knew whom they were talking about. 

Daphine smirked. "Divine knowledge has its benefits. Yes, I'm sure. They read the files before your cronies could stop them." 

"Damn it. Where are they, by the way? I haven't heard from they yet. Tell me they're dead." 

Daphine continued to smirk. "I wish I could. It seems your hit men read the files as well." 

Anista's face lost all traces of humor. "So it begins." 

"Do you think they'll ever realize their true place in this?" the Angel asked the servant of the Gods. 

"No, not until they fulfill their part in it all. This has all been planned after all, by beings far beyond even your realm of comprehension. I trust they know their creations well enough to know which road they will chose." 

Daphine had little to say after Anista's comment, instead turning and leaving the room after delivering her news. She had much to think about. 

Anista joined her, already lost in thoughts the Angel left his chambers. 

########## 

**NEXT SERIES**: The Turtles go on a walkabout and find out more about their origins and place in the world. COMING SOON! 

########## 

**MUTATIONS **

All right, it's done. Now, you know next to nothing still, except glimmers. This was a way to introduce the players and showcase their opening moves, nothing more. But damn, I'm proud of these three issues. They are a little more humorous and flippant then the other fanfic I write, so I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. 

Send comments to hazardous_designs@yahoo.com 


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